In Short: How to Teach the Young Adult Short Story

Avi
T. A. Barron
Joan Bauer
Larry Bograd
Joseph Bruchac
Donna Gamache
Kendall Haven
Roy Hoffman
Trish Holland
C. S. Perryess
Neal Shusterman
Gloria Skurzynski
Gene Twaronite
Vivian Vande Veld
Angel Vigil

While there are many collections of short stories available for young adults, precious few contain instructional support for their teachers. In Short does. With fifteen stories from award-winning authors, such as Avi, Joan Bauer, and T. A. Barron, and teaching suggestions for you, it's the ideal resource for offering students an entry point into the genre.

From parent-child relationships to the hardships of war, the broad scope of these pieces and the practicality of their associated teaching tools provide opportunities to sample the stories for one or two class periods or to fully immerse students over a semester by studying a story a week. Suzanne Barchers introduces each story with a plot summary and information about the author, then presents discussion topics for before, during, and after reading, as well as specific questions to ask your classes and book lists and websites for further information.

In Short can be used to study the form of the short story, introduce novels, tackle teen issues, link content across the curriculum, and teach literary elements such as theme, setting, character, and tone. And with its contemporary, diverse stories and powerful teaching tools, it's bound to be a hit with you and your students.